Dal Palak Calories: Less Oil and More Oil

By NYUS Inc. · Published 2 November 2026

The figures on this page are built from IFCT 2017 Table 1 rows and, where Table 1 has no row, USDA FoodData Central SR Legacy records. No primary table has a dal palak record: IFCT 2017, the Indian Food Composition Tables from ICMR-NIN, prints raw foods (its few cooked rows are boiled and omelette eggs and roasted vermicelli) and no dal palak, no cooked dal or vegetable dish and no cooking oil row, and USDA FoodData Central SR Legacy has no dal palak record. So this page does not quote a number. It works one plate out line by line: the raw green gram dal, spinach, onion, garlic and green chilli from named IFCT 2017 rows and the oil from a USDA record, with weights that are our assumptions and the oil shown apart so you can see what it adds, once with 5 g of oil and once with 15 g. They are estimates, shown so you can change the weights to match your pot. For other dals worked out the same way see our dal tadka guide, for spinach cooked with paneer our paneer curry guide, for palak by the cup our boiled vegetables cup guide, and for the spoon values our ghee, oil and sugar guide.

The short answer

By our working, one plate of dal palak with a little oil (40 g raw green gram dal (moong dal), 100 g raw spinach, 30 g onion, 3 g garlic and 2 g green chilli and 5 g of peanut oil (about 1 teaspoon)) is about 217.8 kcal and 12.4 g protein, and one plate with more oil (40 g raw green gram dal (moong dal), 100 g raw spinach, 30 g onion, 3 g garlic and 2 g green chilli and 15 g of peanut oil (about 1 tablespoon)) is about 306.2 kcal and 12.4 g protein. Scaling the dal from 30 to 50 g and the oil from 5 to 15 g the less oil plate runs 174.4 to 349.8 kcal, and with 10 to 20 g of oil the more oil plate runs 218.6 to 394.0 kcal, with the spinach, onion, garlic and green chilli scaled in every cell. These are estimates from the weights below, not measured values, not from a dal palak record and not a shop or restaurant figure. Our reading: the parts of the less oil main case rank the dal 130.3 kcal, the oil 44.2 kcal, the spinach 24.4 kcal, the onion 14.4 kcal, the garlic and green chilli 4.5 kcal; the parts of the more oil main case rank the oil 132.6 kcal, the dal 130.3 kcal, the spinach 24.4 kcal, the onion 14.4 kcal, the garlic and green chilli 4.5 kcal; and the more oil plate is 88.4 kcal above the other because only the oil differs.

IFCT 2017 rows used, per 100 g

IFCT 2017 Table 1 prints, per 100 g edible portion, water, protein, ash, total fat, total dietary fibre, insoluble and soluble fibre, carbohydrate and energy in kJ. We read these 5 rows from the PDF text on 2 November 2026, as the mean of the regions shown (PDF pages in the Sources); the kcal is ours (kJ divided by 4.184, to 0.1). IFCT prints no portion weights; every row here is raw, so we count raw weight, and the water the dal takes up and the spinach gives off in the pot are not printed in any table.

The oil: USDA SR Legacy, per 100 g

IFCT 2017 Table 1 has no cooking oil row, so the oil comes from USDA FoodData Central SR Legacy; it is a US record (peanut oil). Energy is USDA's kcal with the kJ beside it; water, protein, total fat and carbohydrate (by difference) are in g, then fibre (g), total sugars (g) and sodium (mg), all per 100 g.

The data-type label on each USDA field, as the record shows it

USDA's record page shows a data-type label beside some fields and none beside others. This table copies what the record shows, read field by field from the nutrient table of the record page; "no label shown" means the record prints no label there, and "not printed" means the record has no row for that field. We do not interpret the labels beyond printing them. IFCT 2017 prints no such labels.

The household portions USDA prints for the oil

These are the entries in the record's Measures list, as printed; the other entry is 100 g. This page counts the oil in grams and takes 1 teaspoon as 4.5 g and 1 tablespoon as 13.5 g, the record's own measures. The kcal in the last column is ours: the printed kcal per 100 g times the grams, divided by 100, shown to 0.1.

The portion sums: 171410 1 tsp (4.5 g): 884 × 4.5 / 100 = 39.78, so 39.8 kcal; 171410 1 cup (216 g): 884 × 216 / 100 = 1909.44, so 1909.4 kcal; 171410 1 tbsp (13.5 g): 884 × 13.5 / 100 = 119.34, so 119.3 kcal. By the same arithmetic 5 g of oil is 44.2 kcal and 10 g 88.4 kcal.

Worked example 1: dal palak with a little oil

Every weight here is our assumption for one plate, counted raw: split skinned green gram cooked with spinach, onion, garlic and green chilli, with oil. Each IFCT line is the kJ divided by 4.184, times the grams, divided by 100, to 0.1 kcal; each USDA line is the printed kcal per 100 g times the grams, divided by 100; protein is the table's protein per 100 g times the grams, divided by 100. Salt and spice powders are not counted.

The grid varies the raw dal per plate (30, 40 or 50 g, with the spinach, onion, garlic and green chilli scaled by the same factor and rounded to 0.1 g) and the oil (5, 10, 15 g); the weights in the table above are the 40 g main case.

Worked example 2: dal palak with more oil

Same method and the same 40 g of dal, 100 g of spinach, 30 g of onion, 3 g of garlic and 2 g of green chilli; the 5 g of oil becomes 15 g. This is our assumed recipe, not a measured plate.

The grid varies the raw dal per plate (30, 40 or 50 g, with the spinach, onion, garlic and green chilli scaled by the same factor and rounded to 0.1 g) and the oil (10, 15, 20 g); the weights in the table above are the 40 g main case.

The two main cases side by side

These are the single examples used in the short answer; each follows from the tables above and from the weights in the cell.

What stands out in the numbers

• Less oil, part by part: the dal 130.3 kcal, the oil 44.2 kcal, the spinach 24.4 kcal, the onion 14.4 kcal, the garlic and green chilli 4.5 kcal. Raw green gram dal is 325.8 kcal per 100 g (IFCT B010), raw spinach 24.4 kcal per 100 g (IFCT C033) and the oil 884 kcal per 100 g (USDA 171410).
• More oil, part by part: the oil 132.6 kcal, the dal 130.3 kcal, the spinach 24.4 kcal, the onion 14.4 kcal, the garlic and green chilli 4.5 kcal; against the less oil plate the oil is 88.4 kcal higher, and that is the whole difference between the plates.
• Size against oil: on the less oil plate the oil (5 to 15 g) moves it more than the dal weight (30 to 50 g): 88.4 kcal against 87.0 kcal; on the more oil plate the oil (10 to 20 g) moves it more than the dal weight (30 to 50 g): 88.4 kcal against 87.0 kcal. Each 5 g of oil is 44.2 kcal.
• Protein: about 12.4 g in either plate; the dal supplies 9.6 g of it and the spinach 2.1 g.
• These are estimates: no dal palak record exists, the weights are ours, and a different weight of any ingredient in the tables above will change them.

Why these are estimates, not your dal palak

• No record exists for the dish. IFCT 2017 prints raw foods and no cooked dal or vegetable dish, and the USDA SR Legacy searches found no dal palak record (0 results for dal palak, 0 results for palak dal, 0 results for spinach dal, 0 results for dal spinach, 0 results for lentil spinach); the 27 records for spinach are spinach foods, none of them this dish.
• The weights are assumptions. No table prints how much dal, spinach or oil a plate takes; ours are stated so you can replace them.
• Raw weights. No table prints the weight of the dal palak after cooking, so the page counts raw weight and cannot give a per 100 g or per katori figure.
• Only the oil in the pot is counted. Oil used any other way, or left in the pot, is not counted unless it is in the oil weight.
• US data. The oil row is a US record; IFCT Table 1 has no oil row.
• Labels are printed, not judged. Calculated and Assumed zero are USDA's words on the record; we print them and draw no conclusion from them.

How to log it so the numbers hold

• Log it by parts. Weigh the raw dal and spinach once for your usual pot, and log the oil by its own weight (weight × figure ÷ 100); our ghee, oil and sugar guide has the spoon values.
• Say how much oil. It is an input this page cannot know; 5 g of oil is 44.2 kcal.
• Say how the pot was divided. The page gives one plate from raw weights; divide the pot's total by the portions you actually made.
• Say what else went in. Anything not in the listed ingredients is not counted.

Where NYUS fits (our app)

We make NYUS, so read this as ours. NYUS is an AI fitness and nutrition coach in early access on Android, with no ads and no data selling. You log foods yourself by searching 8,900+ Indian and global foods or by barcode, and a weekly check-in adjusts your calories, macros and step goal once enough is logged. Barcode coverage of Indian packaged foods is not complete, so search by name when a scan finds nothing.

What this page leaves out

• A measured calorie figure for dal palak as a dish: no primary record prints one, so every figure here is an estimate from stated weights.
• A calorie target, and any claim about what dal, spinach or oil do to your body: we have not looked up any for any person, so we give none. If you have a medical condition or are pregnant, ask your doctor or dietitian.
• Other versions and add-ins, such as dal palak with toor, masoor or chana dal, with tomato, with a ghee tadka, or with rice, and any salt, turmeric, cumin or chilli powder: not counted here; log them from their own rows.
• Other fats: ghee, butter and other oils were not looked up for this page.
• The 27 USDA spinach records (Spinach souffle; Spinach, raw; Malabar spinach, cooked; Spaghetti, spinach, cooked; Spaghetti, spinach, dry; Mustard spinach, (tendergreen), raw; New Zealand spinach, raw; Babyfood, vegetables, spinach, creamed, strained; Noodles, egg, spinach, enriched, cooked; Noodles, egg, spinach, enriched, dry; Pasta, fresh-refrigerated, spinach, as purchased; Pasta, fresh-refrigerated, spinach, cooked; Spinach, cooked, boiled, drained, with salt; Spinach, canned, no salt added, solids and liquids; Spinach, canned, regular pack, drained solids; Spinach, canned, regular pack, solids and liquids; Spinach, cooked, boiled, drained, without salt; Mustard spinach, (tendergreen), cooked, boiled, drained, with salt; New zealand spinach, cooked, boiled, drained, with salt; Mustard spinach, (tendergreen), cooked, boiled, drained, without salt; New Zealand spinach, cooked, boiled, drained, without salt; Spinach, frozen, chopped or leaf, cooked, boiled, drained, with salt; Spinach, frozen, chopped or leaf, cooked, boiled, drained, without salt; Spinach, frozen, chopped or leaf, unprepared (Includes foods for USDA's Food Distribution Program); Water convolvulus, cooked, boiled, drained, with salt; Water convolvulus, cooked, boiled, drained, without salt; Water convolvulus,raw): found by search on 2 November 2026; they are spinach foods, not this dish, so none is used.
• Shop, restaurant and packaged dal palak: no table prints a weight or oil use, so we give no such figure; read the pack for packaged ones.
• Per 100 g and per katori figures: no table prints a cooked weight, so none is given here.
• Nutrients beyond energy, water, protein, fat, carbohydrate, fibre, total sugars and sodium: not covered here.

Sources

• ICMR-NIN, Indian Food Composition Tables 2017 (IFCT 2017), Table 1, per 100 g edible portion, mean of the regions shown (read from the PDF text 2 November 2026): B010 Green gram, dal (6 regions, 1363 kJ, PDF p. 42); C033 Spinach (6 regions, 102 kJ, PDF p. 45); G017 Onion, big (6 regions, 201 kJ, PDF p. 54); G011 Garlic, big clove (6 regions, 518 kJ, PDF p. 54); G008 Chillies, green - all varieties (6 regions, 177 kJ, PDF p. 53). IFCT 2017 prints raw foods (its few cooked rows are boiled and omelette eggs and roasted vermicelli) and no dal palak, no cooked dal or vegetable dish and no cooking oil row (PDF text searched for dal palak, palak dal, cooked dal dish and oil; the rows used are B010 green gram dal (PDF p. 42), C033 spinach (p. 45), G008 green chilli (p. 53), G017 big onion (p. 54) and G011 garlic (p. 54)).
• USDA FoodData Central, SR Legacy 171410 (Oil, peanut, salad or cooking): Energy 884 kcal (3700 kJ), protein 0 g, total fat 100 g, carbohydrate by difference 0 g, fibre 0 g, total sugars 0 g, sodium 0 mg per 100 g; labels as printed: kcal Calculated, carbohydrate by difference no label shown, total sugars Assumed zero (Insignificant amount or not naturally occurring in a food, such as fiber in meat); portions used: 1 tsp (4.5 g); 1 cup (216 g); 1 tbsp (13.5 g) (read 2 November 2026).
• USDA FoodData Central, SR Legacy searches run on 2 November 2026 (control 'roll dinner' 11 results): dal palak 0 results, palak dal 0 results, spinach dal 0 results, dal spinach 0 results, lentil spinach 0 results, spinach 27 results (Spinach souffle; Spinach, raw; Malabar spinach, cooked; Spaghetti, spinach, cooked; Spaghetti, spinach, dry; Mustard spinach, (tendergreen), raw; New Zealand spinach, raw; Babyfood, vegetables, spinach, creamed, strained; Noodles, egg, spinach, enriched, cooked; Noodles, egg, spinach, enriched, dry; Pasta, fresh-refrigerated, spinach, as purchased; Pasta, fresh-refrigerated, spinach, cooked; Spinach, cooked, boiled, drained, with salt; Spinach, canned, no salt added, solids and liquids; Spinach, canned, regular pack, drained solids; Spinach, canned, regular pack, solids and liquids; Spinach, cooked, boiled, drained, without salt; Mustard spinach, (tendergreen), cooked, boiled, drained, with salt; New zealand spinach, cooked, boiled, drained, with salt; Mustard spinach, (tendergreen), cooked, boiled, drained, without salt; New Zealand spinach, cooked, boiled, drained, without salt; Spinach, frozen, chopped or leaf, cooked, boiled, drained, with salt; Spinach, frozen, chopped or leaf, cooked, boiled, drained, without salt; Spinach, frozen, chopped or leaf, unprepared (Includes foods for USDA's Food Distribution Program); Water convolvulus, cooked, boiled, drained, with salt; Water convolvulus, cooked, boiled, drained, without salt; Water convolvulus,raw).
• nyus.in, the NYUS landing page, read on 2 November 2026 for the app statements in the NYUS section and the CTA.

The ingredient weights, the scaling, the kJ to kcal conversions, the line values, the sums, the grids, the portion kcal, the rounding, the comparisons and every sentence starting "Our reading" are NYUS's own assumptions, arithmetic or opinion, not from USDA or IFCT. The totals add the rounded line values, so a total can differ from the unrounded sum by a rounding step. The IFCT values are the means printed in IFCT 2017 Table 1; the USDA values, data-type labels and Measures-list portions are exactly as shown on the USDA record page. The names in the first column are the tables' own names.

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